COURTEOUSLY DEDICATED TO 
MR. HUGH McCLOSKEY 

PRESIDENT OF THE N. O RAILWAY a LIGHT CO 

alip Authnr 

NEW ORLEANS, JUNE, 1911 



Published by New Orleans Railway a Light Co. 



IN EXCHANGE 
Ho^a^rcL Menwriai 

JUN 19 1912 



Bj^g^ttft of 

tragic tale of a brave soldier^s 
love preserved in the legend 

mm of the spot mm 

Bv J. H. DF-Gr^^^^ 



Should you ask me w hence these stories ? 

Whence these legends and traditions. 

With the odors of the forest. 

With the dew and damp of meadows, 

With the curiing smoke of Wigwams, 

With the rushing of great rivers, 

With tlieir frequent repetitions, 

And their w ild reverberations. 

As the thunder in the mountains ? 

I should answer, I should tell vou, 

" I^'rcMii the forests and the prairies". 

(HIAWATHA) 







Otraf^orel. 



OWAISSEE 



Legend of the Grave at Spanish Fort 



^S I \\'AS wandering through the grove at Spanish Fort I saw a very old 
man sitting on the side of the bayou lishing. I went and sat near him, 
when, after a time, by dint of questioning, I overcame his reticence and he 
told me this legend, just as I give it to you, in substance. I do not vouch 
for it, but it is a legend passed from mouth to mouth: CII,"Do you want to 
know whose grave that is," said the white-haired old fisherman at Spanish 
Fort, pointing to an inclosure with an iron railing surrounded by four 
large trees so obviously symmetrically placed as to mark the place: "Ah, 
senor, my father's father came from Spain with his majesty's troops when 
they landed at Biloxi, and wandering across the country, they crossed this big lake and landed at 
this place where the Hidalgos and the Commandant Sanclio Pablo — God bless his soul, founded 
this fort. They believed then that this natural stream ran to the river, so searching parties 
Wire immediately sent out, and soon found tha it did not, but at the juncture of this bayou, 
which they called St. John in honor of the-tlioly St. John, they being good Catholics, they 
found this location to be a good one to protect any future city that they might locate further 





tiRAVE OF SANCHO I'ABLU 



Legend of the Grave at Spanish Fort 



inland as well as from invasion or re-enforcement of the Choctaws, the great Southern tribe of 
Indians now in this section of the country. 

Wlien the fort was built, just as you see it now and garrisoned by the flower of the Spanish 
army, the genuine routine of the fort life began and continued for some time. You see 
that island in the middle of Bayou St. John, about two miles towards the city — well, that 
was the camp of the Indian chief, Waw-he-wawa (white goose), where he and his lovely daughter 
Ovvaissee (Bluebird), and the mighty warriors camped and lived for a while, until he would bring 
them to other sections of the country, for the great warring tribes met once a year in other sections 
of the country. There were the Iroquois and the Mohawks and the Choctaws and the Oneidas 
and the Shawnees and the Blackfeet and the Pawnees and the Omahas and the Mandans and the 
Chippewas and the Dacotahs and the Hurons and Ojibwas, who all met to pow-wow for the Indian 
country, until dissension would come between them and they would war among themselves, but, 
until that time, thsy would pow-wow for the general good against tlie pale face man. This pow- 
wow generally took place near the Sault Saint Marie, but at the time that I speak of, the tribes 
were at peace and the Choctaws were here. 



Legend of the Grave at Spanish Fort 



One of tlie deliii;lits of tlie loxcly Owaissee wlien thf moon was up was to pacldle in her swift 
canoe to the great waters (Lake Pontcliartrain ) to hsh, to enjo\' herself, to breathe tlie 
pure air on its grand and broad expanse under the linipiil hght of the sil\ery moon. 
She was talK straiglit as an arrow , lovely in feature and in form lithe as the cane break, anil her 
motion was as wavering as the reetls that moxeil about b\ the sighing winds on both sides oi the 
bayou. For a w bile after the arrival of the garrison she kept aloof, but as time passed on and when 
the strangers' pale-faceil, smoked the pipe of peace in front oi her father's wigwam, she became 
accustomed to seeing them daily, for that was the first tinr^ that Sancho Pablo saw this lovely 
daughter of the chief sitting in front of his wigw am plaiting baskets and mats from reeds. 

One da\ , or rather one evening, w bile on the lake enjoying herself as she was wont to, a 
severe squall suddenlv arose, so common on this lake, the waves waxed wroth and beat 
above her shallow canoe until she w as nigh exhausted in her efforts to prote(!:t herself. The 
Commandant Sancho Pablo, who had been watching her for some time, saw the danger in which 
she was from the battlement where he stoitil. He immediately called for help, bail one of his pow- 
erful boats manned anil went out to rescue her, and luckily he did, for he reached her frail bark just 




U£.r<iOo''«'t- 



THE ISLAND 



Legend of the Grave at Spanish Fort 



as it w as about to collapse. He seized her, placed her in his boat and by the mighty efforts of his 
crew brought her safely to the fort, and then brought her safely to her father's w igwam. He was met 
w ith profuse thanks and then w ent his wav. It was a re\elation to this Bluebird — simple child of 
the forest, to see and be sa\ed b\' this tall and \ery handsome w bite-faced man in his casque and ac- 
coutrement of a Spanish officer, it was not good that this maiden, this daughter of this great chief 
should meet this pale face; this stranger w ho smoked the pipe of peace. He hail seen her, she had 
seen him, and looking back as he departed, she had heard her father praise him, praise his w isdom 
and bis courage, antl wonder would be come again? 



E\ ery da\ after the rescue as she paddled dow n the bayou, Sancho Pablo w atched for her, watched 
for her limped eye, for her blue-black hair and lovely form. This continued for a time until 
her hour changetl as the days rolled by, it became later ami later e\ery e\ening, until, instead 
of going o\er the bosom of the great w aters, she would stop near the fort, right there yonder, near 
that big oak, w hich you see from here, to meet the commandant, and there in sweet converse she 
passed and w biled awa_\- many and man\ hours w ith him. 




U'!'-.- C*)<:i-el 



THE TRYSTING 



Legend of the Grave ar Spanish Fort 



Waw -he-w ;i\va, tlie threat chief, soon noticed that ()\\ aissee was becoming hstless in lier weav- 
ing, she would stop and dream and ponder at times when she should be at work about 
her duties, wliich were not accomplished with that cheerfulness which had been her wont 
— a change had come o\er the spirit of her dreams —her glances were drooping antl she seemed al- 
ways to long for the e\ening, she was thinking of the stranger that came from the land over the wa- 
ters, not this big water, but the greater waters, the people are very fierce and often there is war be- 
tween us — friction and wounds that ache and still may ache — she was thinking of the white man, she 
was thinking of another tribe and another country, for this man, this pale face, this Sancho, was very 
tall and \ ery handsome. He had come to her at spring time. This was mysterv to the mighty chief 
warrior, st) one night he followed her, followed her steadily dow n the bayou with his paddle making 
no noise, and from the opposite side he siw the tryst under this great oak, he saw it with his own 
eyes, he saw , to his dismiy, his lo\ely daughter and the commandant standing side by side, hand in 
hand together, so close that they seemed uniteil intt) one — antl anger sprang to his bosom, he swore 
a mighty oath, he cried out, raising his arms to heaven: "I will slay this pale face man, as long and 
as wide as the world may be, as rude and rough as the way may be, my wrath shall dow n him and 
my vengeance shall reach him!" 



Legend of the Grave at Spanish Fort 



One dark niglit \\'a\\-he-\\ aua came alone. He came to tlie tr\ sting place, gave the signal, 
and the commandant, Sancho Pahlo, unsuspecting of the treacheries and the deceit of the 
dark, dusky race, came out to meet, as he believed, the lovely damsel, this dusky maiden 
so beautiful, and pass the hours with her — when he was suddenl\ met by this mighty chief warrior, 
Wah-he-waw a. A struggle, herce and short, took place, and the commandant, Sancho Pablo fell 
under the murderous blow of Waw-he-wawa, murmering even in his dying breath his deep, dearest 
devotion and love for Ovvaissee. The noise soon alarmed the garrison, but the Indian had tied 
through the bushes and no trace could be found of him. The body was tenderly cared for and after 
the usual ceremony of the war camp, Sancho Pablo was buried right there in that spot which is 
marked by the trees, for the trees were planted and grew in his memory, raising their branches high 
to heaven as an altar to this lovely afie(l:tion — so tragic in its ending." 

"What became of Owaissee and the tribe ?" 

"The tribe went awav, and— Owaissee ? Quien sabe." 



■k ■'-. -"'■■';'.. ''■■ ^ 






LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 






014 497 755 5 4 



